We Couldn't Wait
by ordlas
Summary: One shot, what if. Starting with the bower scene in Fifty Shades Freed, Christian & Ana decide on a different route. Inspired by the song Undisclosed Desires by Muse.


"Can we marry tomorrow?" I murmur softly in her ear. She's sprawled on my chest in the flowery bower in the boathouse, sated from our passionate lovemaking.

"Hmm."

"Is that a yes?" I'm hoping it is.

"Hmm."

"A no?"

"Hmm." I'm grinning now. "Miss Steele, are you incoherent?"

She grins too. "Hmm."

I laugh and hug her tightly, kissing the top of her head. "Vegas, tomorrow, it is then." I can't wait.

She raises her head. "I don't think my parents would be very happy with that."

I thrum my fingertips up and down her naked back, caressing her gently. "What do you want, Anastasia? Vegas? A big wedding with all the trimmings? Tell me." "Not big … Just friends and family." She gazes up at me

"Okay," I tell her, "Where?"

She shrugs.

"Ana, next time we make love I want us to do it as husband and wife. And tomorrow morning, I want us to wake up as husband and wife. I want us to start our life as husband and wife today."

"But what about Ray and my mom? Ray will be heartbroken if he can't give me away! And I want my mom there, too!"

"Baby, I can make it happen. That's one of the things I like about being rich – I can give you anything you want. Ray and my family can all go on the jet this afternoon. Call your mom as soon as you know she's awake – I can send a charter for her and Bob."

She's still looking dubious about the idea. I have to find a way to convince her. I've never wanted anything in my life as much as I want her to be my wife. Right now I'm thinking that I'd give up everything, Escala, GEH, my helicopter, everything, if we could get married in the next five minutes.

"How about going to Reno instead?" she asks. _Yes!_ At least she's warming up to the idea.

"We can do Reno if you really want but I've always associated Reno with divorce. And while it's a nice town and closer, it just doesn't have the resources that Vegas has."

"Christian, my memories of Vegas aren't very nice." And now it dawns on me, this all has to do with her mom's third marriage. What the fuck happened to her back then? I'm making it my mission to find out, not now but soon.

"Anastasia, _I want to exorcise the demons from your past_," I tell her. "From the moment we say 'I do' our new life together will start. 'And the two shall become one flesh.'" I smile at her and she smiles back; I'm sure she's thinking about the last time we had a discussion of what was in the Bible. "And with our new life, we'll make new memories that will erase any bad ones. Every place we go, we'll go as one, not Christian, not Anastasia, but us. I want our new life to start today. Please say we can do this!"

She puts her head back on my chest. I feel her silky hair and her warm breath on my skin and I marvel at how she's been able to overcome my fear of being touched there. A few short weeks ago I could never have imagined anyone hugging me like this and now I wish we could stay this way forever.

Just when I think she's fallen asleep, I hear her say in a low voice, "If we're going to do it next time as husband and wife, I think we should get dressed now."

YES! YES! YES! I feel like I could explode in fireworks that would make the Coping Together gala look like mere tealight candles! I grab hold of her shoulders and push her back so that I'm looking at her. "You'll really do this?" I ask her.

"Yes, let's do it," she answers. I look into the bottomless clear blue pools that are her eyes and I see that she really means it.

"Well, then, Miss Steele (and I won't be saying that much longer), we'd best get some rest." We stand up and as we disentangle I gaze at her body. She really is a goddess! I can't help but stare.

"Stop!" I tell her.

"What?" She gives me a quizzical look.

"The next time I see your beautiful naked body, you'll be my wife. I want to burn the image of you in my mind until then."

"And the next time I see your gorgeous naked body, you'll be my husband. Are you sure you don't want to sow some wild oats one last time, Mr. Grey?"

It's obvious what she's referring to, since at least part of me does want to sow more wild oats but I'm not going to let that happen. "No, Anastasia. The next time our bodies join, it will be to consummate our marriage."

"All right, then. Let's get dressed and go get some sleep. It's after midnight and we have so much to do." We start putting on our clothes and as I pull on my pants, I reach into my pocket and retrieve my Blackberry. I know it's late but I have to give Taylor some heads-up regarding our trip. I fully expect the call to go to his voicemail but he answers, albeit somewhat sleepily, and I give him the outline of our plans. He'll make sure the jet's ready and our bags will be in it. He'll also arrange for extra security detail in Vegas. God, I love that man! He makes my life so much easier. He's worth his weight in gold.

Anastasia and I walk from the boathouse back to the main house hand in hand. It's a beautiful night with a sky full of stars. I'm feeling like the luckiest man on earth. I look down at my beautiful fiancée; she's watching her steps carefully, making sure not to trip in her heels. I can't help myself, I scoop her up in my arms, not over my shoulder like earlier but cradled, the way I'll soon carry her over the threshold of Escala and then our new home. She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me softly on my cheek.

I set her down gently in front of the patio door, then lead her up to one of the guest rooms. After a passionate good night kiss, she enters her room and shuts the door behind her. I rest my head and hand on it and whisper softly, "Good night, Anastasia, my love. Sleep well and dream of me."

It's taking all of my willpower not to follow her in there and bury myself in her but instead I head up to my room. In spite of the late hour, I'm too excited to sleep. I go over everything that we need to do and I start bracing myself for the protestations from my family, especially Mia (oh my god, Mia!), when I tell them we're going to Vegas today.

* * *

It's almost the summer solstice so daylight starts streaming into my room way before five. Even though I've only had a couple hours sleep, I'm energized by the thought that this is my wedding day! So much has to be done and so many people have to be dealt with but at the end of the day, Anastasia and I will be husband and wife. Our final night of sleeping apart is done; tonight will be the first night in our marital bed, where I hope we will sleep every night for the rest of our lives.

After a quick shower, I put on my jeans and a t-shirt and head downstairs for some coffee and a light breakfast. When I get to the kitchen I'm shocked to see Anastasia already there. She has a pot of coffee already made and is sipping her tea; bagels and cream cheese are laid out on the breakfast bar.

"Good morning, wife-to-be," I greet her.

"Good morning, husband-to-be," she answers with her drop-dead, gorgeous smile. I walk over and envelop her in a passionate embrace, accompanied by equally passionate kissing. After a few minutes we pull apart and I plant a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Is anyone else up?" I ask as I pour my coffee and fix myself a bagel.

"Not so far," she answers, "but I did call my mom and she and Bob can make it. I told them someone would call them to give them the info about the charter flight."

"Right, I'll have Taylor do that. How'd she take it?"

"Well, after ten minutes of reassuring her that I'm not pregnant she said she was happy for us. I think she's excited about traveling on a chartered jet; she's never done that before. I'll call Ray in an hour or so. He's an early riser so I want to get him before he goes out fishing or something. You'll have someone pick him up, right?"

"Absolutely. It's roughly two and a half hours to Vegas so if we all leave after lunch, that should give us plenty of time."

"Plenty of time for what?" my mom says as she enters the kitchen. Uh-oh, the drama's about to start. I walk over to Anastasia and put my arm around her shoulders.

"Mom, Anastasia and I are flying to Vegas today to get married. We want you and dad and everyone else to join us. Ana's mom and stepfather are coming and we're calling her dad in an hour." Her expression is decidedly neutral.

"You know I'll support you two in whatever you decide but are you sure this is really what you want to do?"

I'm about to answer her but Ana pipes up before I can open my mouth, "Yes, Grace, this is what we want. I've never wanted a big wedding, just friends and family, and that's what we'll have."

"All right," mom replies, "just be aware that there'll be a lot of disappointment here when everyone finds out. I'll do my best to mitigate it but some people might not be very understanding."

"Don't worry, mom, I'll handle Mia."

"Okay, then, what can I do to help?"

I love my mom and right now I'm feeling bad for all the grief I gave her and dad during my teen years. She's always been on my side, even if I didn't appreciate it at the time.

The three of us spend the next hour strategizing. I'll be making phone calls, setting up things in Las Vegas and arranging transportation for everyone. Mom and Ana will handle communications with family and friends, making sure everyone knows when to be where, plus handling all the things that women need for weddings.

Just as we're wrapping things up my dad walks into the kitchen. Mom tells him of our plans; he looks at me and says, "Can I have a word with you in my office, son?"

"Dad, whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of Anastasia."

"Christian, I really think we should talk in private."

"No, dad, we can talk here. If this is about a pre-nup, you can save your breath. I'm not making Anastasia sign one."

"Son…"

"No, dad! End of discussion."

"Christian," Ana interjects, "if it's that important, I'll sign whatever Carrick thinks is necessary. I don't want anything to come between you and your dad."

"NO! You are not signing a pre-nup. Period. End of sentence. The only thing you'll be signing today is our marriage license."

"As you wish, son," my dad says, thin-lipped, "I think you're making a mistake but it's your life. I'll be in my office if you need me." With that, he pours a cup of coffee and takes it out of the kitchen.

"He only has your best interests at heart, Christian," my mom says when he's gone.

"I know, mom but I feel very strongly about this," I tell her. "Now I'm gonna go make some phone calls and get us set up for this afternoon and tonight. You two have lots of things to do so I'll see you in about an hour. Ana, let me know what your dad says, ok?"

"I'll call him right now."

"Fine, I'll be in the library." I take my coffee and head over there.

* * *

I've gotten a lot accomplished in an hour. Taylor's confirmed the jet will be ready and I gave him an approximate takeoff time. I got hold of Steve Wynn and he assured me that the Terrazza di Sogno at the Bellagio will be available for us this evening. He'll also arrange for suites for our little wedding party. I'm going to have Ana call his assistant back; since there are a variety of services we can choose, she can pick the ones she wants.

I'm about to get up and go find her when I hear a loud high-pitched screech that reminds me of the shower scene in _Psycho_. It gets louder and Mia comes barreling into the library.

"NOOOOOO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!"

Ana and Grace are right behind her, both of them rolling their eyes from here to Portland and giving me an "I told you so" look. I've never done this with any of my family but the situation calls for it - I draw myself up into full-blown Dom mode and look straight at my sister.

"Mia," I say very, very quietly, "I will only say this once. You can be part of our wedding or we can leave you at home. It's your choice."

"But…" she interrupts.

"Mia," I interrupt her interruption, "what did I just say? Anastasia and I have made the decision to get married today. This is what Anastasia and I want. Please respect our wishes. When it's your turn to get married, you can do it at fucking Westminster Abbey with the whole fucking Royal Court in attendance, if that's what _you_ want. We have a lot of things to do today and we'd like nothing more than for you to help us. Will you do that, please? For me?"

For the first time in ages, my little sister is speechless. I look around and see my mother with her mouth hanging open. Ana is trying to hide a smile; she's seen this side of me and knows what a shock it is for those who haven't.

Finally, Mia, in a very small voice, says, "All right. I'm doing this for you, Christian."

"Thank you, Mia," I reply, "I love you and I appreciate this." She stands on her toes and gives me a peck on the cheek.

I go back to friendly Christian mode and make an announcement, "Okay, ladies, you have a lot of work to do. Steve Wynn has personally assured me that the resources of the Bellagio will be at our disposal. Here is a list of phone numbers and websites for you to use in making the arrangements. Everyone has been instructed to give you their complete cooperation. Oh, and will someone find Kate and Elliot and throw a bucket of water on them? We need to make sure our maid of honor and best man will be there. Thank you."

Grace steps in and makes her own announcement, "Lunch will be served on the patio at eleven thirty. Until then, we'll be in the family room. Ana, would you please get Kate there, preferably without using a bucket of water?"

"I'll go get her, Grace," Ana tells her, then she turns to me. "Ray will be joining us. And mom called back and said she got the charter info."

"That's great, baby. I'll tell Taylor to make sure Ray gets here in time for lunch. If you need anything, just call me. Otherwise, I'll see you at eleven-thirty." Grace and Mia quietly steal away as I give my beautiful fiancée a passionate hug and kiss.

* * *

We're cruising along smoothly at twenty-nine thousand feet. Anastasia and I are sitting next to each other, holding hands; I'm slowly rubbing hers with my thumb as I gaze out the window. Just a few more hours and she'll be my wife!

She leans into me and whispers, "You were right, Christian."

"I usually am, but what specifically are you referring to?" I turn towards her and whisper back.

"Eloping. Although I'm not sure this qualifies as eloping since we've got everyone with us."

"Stressful morning, was it?" I smile at her.

"Oh. my. god. You'd think we were planning the Normandy Invasion!"

"Don't let it get to you, baby. Keep your eyes on the prize. By the end of today, you and I will be husband and wife. That's all that matters; everything else is just window dressing."

"Actually, it wasn't all that bad. Grace had to crack the whip on Mia again to get her to settle down. We put her in charge of the food, so she'll terrorize the Bellagio kitchen staff instead of us. Your mom's handling flowers and music. Kate's in charge of clothing and photography. And I'm the final decision maker. Thank you for agreeing to let José do the stills, by the way."

"You're welcome." At first, when Ana brought it up to me this morning, I was not happy but then I thought, no, I _want_ him there to see her become my wife.

"I love you, Christian," she says as she snuggles up against me.

"I love you, too, Anastasia."

Stephan announces our descent into McCarran and we start getting ready for landing. My parents, Ray, and Taylor are on this flight with us. My brother, sister, Kate, José, and Sawyer are on a charter flight that should be arriving right about the same time. We'll wait in the executive terminal until they arrive, unless they arrive first; then we'll all go to the Bellagio in two limos.

* * *

Zero hour is here. I'm standing in the Terrazza di Sogno with Mia and my parents beside me; Ana's mother and stepfather are standing on the other side of the Justice of the Peace. José's temporary assistant is busy taking snapshots of all of us and the videographer is capturing these moments as well.

In front of us, the fountains rise and fall to the strains of Handel's Water Music. The lights of the Las Vegas Strip provide a magical background, with the replica of the Eiffel Tower glowing down on us. Vegas is a microcosm of all the places Anastasia and I will visit during our life together. Italy, France, Egypt - I'll lay the whole world at her feet!

The women have done an outstanding job of putting this together. The men all had haircuts, shaves, and manicures. Dad, Elliot, and I brought our own tuxes, which were cleaned and pressed by the Bellagio staff. Ray and Bob were fitted with rental tuxes and both men look very dapper.

Garlands adorn the railings, and floral arrangements are placed in esthetically pleasing areas of the terrace; red roses and baby's breath add visual and olfactory beauty to the night.

The music changes to Pachelbel's Canon, which is the signal for the actual start of the ceremony. We all look toward the staircase to see Kate and Elliot slowly walking down. She's wearing a deep blue fitted gown and I think to myself that she cleans up well, then I mentally slap my wrist and remind myself not to be so snarky. It's our wedding day and she's the best friend of the woman who is minutes away from being my wife. From the way Elliot's looking at her, Kate may soon be more related to us than that.

They take their places, Elliot next to me and Kate in front of Ana's parents. The music changes to Wagner's Wedding March and when I turn to see Ana and her father walking down the stairs, I'm struck breathless by her beauty. Her hair is artfully arranged in an updo with small white roses intertwined. Her dress is even more fitted than Kate's – white satin, sleeveless, with a deep v neckline. As she comes slowly down the steps she seems to float, like an angel descending from heaven, her eyes taking in everyone, then locking in on mine.

When they reach the terrace level, she takes her position opposite me. Ray gives her a kiss on the cheek, then turns to me and says, "Please take good care of my baby, Christian."

"Don't worry, Mr. Steele, I fully intend to do that," I respond.

He steps back and the Justice starts the invocation, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…" I listen to the time-honored words while concentrating on the vision that is Anastasia. We're lost in each other's eyes and I think once again that I'm the luckiest man in the world.

When he asks for the ring, Elliot steps forward and hands Anastasia's to me. I take her beautiful, soft, little hand and place the ring on her finger while the Justice asks her the traditional question, "Do you, Anastasia, take this man, Christian, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, until death do you part?" In a loud, clear voice, she responds, "I do." My heart leaps!

"Do you, Christian, take this woman, Anastasia, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, until death do you part?" In a loud, clear voice, I respond, "I do!"

"By the power vested in me by the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." And I take my beautiful wife in my arms and give her the first kiss of our married life, the first of many, many to come.

At that moment, Mendelssohn's Wedding March breaks out, the fountains gush up, and fireworks go off in the sky. The family gathers in and we all start hugging. I shake hands with the Justice; he congratulates me and takes his leave of us. We all turn to admire the fireworks, which last a good five minutes, and then it's time for pictures.

* * *

I close the door behind me without letting go of my wife's hand. We're standing in the foyer of the Chairman's Suite; the chandelier overhead is muted, just bright enough for us to see the living room ahead of us. The lights of the Strip are visible through the windows. A path of rose petals leads into the living room and turns left. A beautiful soprano voice sings _O mio babbino caro_ softly in the background.

The moment we've been waiting for is finally here. Mia (and the Bellagio kitchen staff) did a splendid job with the meal; the cake was both beautiful and delicious. Elliot was charming as Master of Ceremonies; his toast was actually quite touching. But through it all, Anastasia and I kept whispering to each other, wishing the evening would move along to a point when we could gracefully leave. And at last it's just the two of us, alone in our suite.

I take her in my arms and we continue the passionate kiss we started in the elevator. When I pull back, I reach up and take one of the roses out of her hair and throw it on the floor. She reaches up, grabs my tie (which she'd untied in the elevator), pulls it out of my collar, and tosses it to the side. We take a few steps forward and kiss again. When we stop, I take another rose and some pins out of her hair, she takes off my jacket, and we drop them on the floor.

We continue this way, first kissing, then me undoing her hair and her removing my clothes, following the path of rose petals, until we're in the bedroom, at the foot of the bed. Her beautiful hair is flowing down her shoulders and I'm down to my pants and shorts. I've been studying her dress all evening, mentally planning how I'll remove it. I'm going to unveil my bride in the most perfectly sensuous way possible.

There are flameless candles placed throughout the bedroom and Anastasia's hair and skin glow in their light. I cup her face with my hands and kiss her once more, gently, then I slide my hands down her back, pressing her close to me, all the while deepening our kiss. I feel her hands on my ass, massaging it, while I find the zipper of her dress and slowly pull it down. After caressing her soft, flawless skin, I move back and place her arms by her side, then take the straps of her dress and gradually slide them down her arms. I continue until her dress is puddled on the floor and she's standing before me in bra, panties, and stilettoes. I'm kneeling before her, worshipping my beautiful goddess Anastasia.

I slide my hands up her legs until they reach her perfectly shaped ass. I grab her cheeks as I press my face into her crotch, inhaling her intoxicating scent. Grabbing the straps of her panties, I slide them down to join her dress on the floor. I once again bring my face to her crotch but this time I lick her folds, making sure I reach her clit. I hear moans of pleasure coming from her. As I stand up, I order her to sit and she complies.

"My turn," she says and proceeds to unbutton my pants and lower my zipper. As she lowers my pants, my cock pushes his way out of my briefs. She slides her hands back up my legs until she reaches the waistband and pulls them down, too. When they reach the floor I step out of pants and briefs, and before I can do anything else, she grabs my ass and takes my dick in her mouth. As she rolls her tongue around me I reach down her back and unclasp her bra. Tossing it to the side, I reach down and slowly work her nipples with my fingertips. I hear her moan again and it heightens my own excitement.

"Stop!" I tell her and she withdraws immediately. I climb on the bed with her and we both move to the middle. She lays back, her beautiful dark hair spread out on the white pillow, and I kneel beside her, drinking her in with my eyes. I reach for her left foot and gently move her leg to one side so I can get between them. After slowly removing her shoe, I give a tiny nip to each of her toes, then do the same with her other foot. I work my way up her legs, kissing them, alternating between right and left. As I get closer to my destination, I feel her hands run through my hair, massaging my scalp.

Once again, I bury my face in her cleft and massage it with my tongue. I reach up for her breast with my left hand and with my right, I insert two fingers in her. Oh, my wife is so ready for me! Her murmurs of desire are music to my ears.

"Christian, please," she begs me, "I want you, I need you in me. Please!" My wife, my beautiful Anastasia, wants me! I look up; her back is arched with pleasure and her head is thrown back. I see her lovely throat between her breasts and I move up to kiss it.

I feel her arms around me as I approach and once we are face to face, I look deep into her eyes and see her passion for me there. "I love you, Anastasia," I tell her as I kiss her face, "so much that you can't even imagine. _I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart._ I want to give you everything."

"I love you, Christian," she responds, "and as long as I have you, I have everything I want."

"I know you're ready for me, Anastasia, do you want me now?"

"Yes! Now! Please! I'm yours!" And with that I reach down and slowly guide myself inside her. Oh, I am in heaven and I never want to leave! We start our familiar rhythm, taking our time, her hips pulsing in time with mine. We kiss, tongues swirling; I love being joined with her at both ends.

Our pace quickens and I know our release will happen soon. I pull back from our kiss so I can look at my wife's face. I love watching Anastasia come! Oh, those beautiful blue eyes! She looks at me and shouts, "Christian!" and it sends me over the edge. I pour myself into her and whisper, "Anastasia!" Our spasms feel like they'll go on endlessly but soon, all too soon, they're done. I feel us relax and I rest my forehead gently on hers.

"I love you, Anastasia, my wife," I murmur.

"I love you, Christian, my husband."

Our new life together has begun. We have consummated our marriage; we are one, forever.


End file.
